Today we bring you details of a GREAT Dog blog! www.doggyplanet.co.uk are an up and coming dog blog packed to the rafters with content including:

Best buy guides

Reviews

Hints and tips

Infographics

Plus much, much more. They have an active social media presence, where they're available 24/7 and they participate in lots of interaction. They regularly run competitions for the readers of their blogs and also bring you details about special offers for the best canine products available on the market.

Amazon has over 300 reviews of these clippers and Doggy Planet, brings you the best of them.

The owners of Doggyplanet.co.uk are life-long pooch lovers and dog owners. Living with up-to 5 dogs at a time, owner and blogger had this to say:

"From a very young age, I've lived with dogs. We had Buster as a puppy, when I was just a child - over 30 years ago! I remember him through all of my formative years. He was my best friend and to this day, I am yet to find a better companion!"

"I've always befriended dogs, they're more loyal than humans and they'll listen to everything that you have to say. Whenever, we're at the park, dogs are just naturally drawn to me and I too them. They help me de-stress and forget about the world and its problems. My life is more fulfilled with my dogs around. I am less stressed, less anxious and generally just more productive with much more energy and I know it sounds strange, but genuinely - my dogs bring me all this joy and so, so much more."

"I created Doggy Planet because I love trying out new pooch products! I am a complete TECH GEEK and combining my love of tech with my love of Dogs, was an easy, no brainer. Everything we review on Doggy Planet, I or my other bloggers have genuinely tried and tested! We wouldn't bring you details of anything unless we'd genuinely used them ourselves."

"We also love to adopt and give a home to pooches that have been abandoned and we implore you check out the Blue cross for pets website, if you have the space and love to offer a dog a home."

Be sure to check out the Doggy Planet website by clicking here, they're constantly adding content on a near daily basis!

Check out the video below to see the aforementioned Andis AGC 2 speed dog clippers in action:

A1 Grooming have made a list that they believe are to be the very best dog clippers available on the market today. They have compiled a list that takes into account various budgets, grooming needs and the different breads and coats of your beloved dogs.

Some people purchase dog clippers so that they can groom their dog in the interim before going to a professional dog groomer – as a means to their dogs groomed.

Other dog owners will purchase professional dog clippers that are expensive with the intention of grooming their own dogs without ever visiting a dog groomer. When deciding which are the best dog clippers for you – it’s important to take into account exactly what you’re going to be using them for.

As discussed previously if you’re only going to be using your clippers once a month, save yourself some money and purchase a cheaper clipper (there are some great value for money dog clippers reviewed below).

A state of the art set of professional dog clippers will set you back a fair amount of your hard earned cash but could save you many, many trips to the dog groomers.

It’s also worth taking into account the quality time you get to spend with your dog when using your own set of clippers to groom them. You can also take away the fear that your dog may have of going to the groomers.

We have composed a list of what we believe are the best dog clippers available both here in the UK and over in the USA. click here to read their top ten list.… Read the rest

Barrier rope can help you manage your pets while accentuating your home and garden areas, helping to section off your home or garden, acting as a barrier to show your pets (and young children) where they are allowed to go and where they shouldn’t be.

The space in your home may begin to feel inadequate, especially when pets are around. We all love the presence of a cute and cuddly dog or a parrot that mimics you in the funniest yet disturbing manner. It is however inarguable that pets can be incorrigible and less receptive to certain ways of instilling discipline in them. According to a study by Canine Researchers, 44% of British homes have a dog as part of the family. The researchers also revealed that pets such as dogs do certain things that their owners don’t like because they are looking for their owners’ attention. It is therefore necessary to find ways to control them without being cruel or uncaring.

Pets have an interesting cognitive process that compels them to continuously use a particular spot as their toilet. At times that spot is your carpet, your under-bed or your children’s room. No one likes to step on ‘pet poo’ accidentally or its rather disturbing foul smell. Barrier rope can help you maintain a clean and serene environment if used to restrain pets from accessing certain parts of the house.

The beauty of flowers is highly dependent on their unscathed nature. Pets tend to step on them or even uproot them thus frustrating your efforts. To avoid such instances, deck your garden with barrier ropes. Depending on the size of your pet, you may place poles wide apart or close together. Also, use several layers of ropes. This will prevent pets from entering into your garden. You can also go for cat scratching posts if you have a cat in the house.

Pets such as dogs, cats and parrots attach a sentimental value to spots which they deem as their personal spaces. A dog for instance will form a habit of sleeping or lying in a particular part of the house when bored or tired. You may use barrier ropes to build a space which your pet views as a personal home. For example, a dog will need a spacious rectangular space with a warm blanket inside while a parrot will need a branchlike pole to perch on, inside an enclosure.

Lastly, demarcating your house or garden with barrier ropes may easily compromise its aesthetic quality. However, these very ropes can be used cleverly to create exceptional elegance. They are made out of tradition woven fabric which has a rustic appearance. When making demarcations, wrap your metallic or wooden poles with ropes of different colors to create an appealing appearance. It is also important to organize the ropes and poles in a neat and calculated manner that exudes perfection and orderliness. That way, even your pets may understand the need to maintain order and cleanliness around the home.

Our friends over at Ride the waves are currently providing 10% off all barrier rope orders – lots of different lengths and sizes area available and they supply lots of different fittings – so visit them today by clicking here.… Read the rest

If like us, you treat your dog (or any pet for that matter) like an extended member of your family - you want the best for them. Sometimes, there's not always enough room in the house for your animals to live in-doors. Many people opt to put their dogs in a shed or outbuilding. These can be damp and often cold. We were recently informed about a technology called GRP roofing. Grp roofing is a durable, cost effective roof suitable for flat surfaces - such as a shed! It also enhances the security and appearance. Forearmed with this information - we looked for a GRP roofing Birmingham company. We had QC Construction Group recommended to us.

GRP stands for Glass Reinforced Plastic that's re-inforced with strand mat glass-fiber to create a laminate. Enough about the science behind it! You're hear to read about how it can benfit your beloved canine. The obvious benefits are as follows:

It retains heat - keeping your furry, 4 legged friend warm

It will improve the appearance of your building/shed/extension

It lasts up-to 30 years!

It's water tight - meaning your dog stays dry!

It requires very little maintenance

There's a choice of colours

The service provided by QC was painless. They come out, took measurements, gave us a quote, we accepted and 5 days later we had a brand new GRP roof on the shed or as we like to call it - the dogs house!

It's not just for sheds tho. You can also GRP roof your dog kennels, creating a warm, cosy and hygienic environment. The flat fibreglass GRP roof acts as a great layer of protection for your dog kennel. Because of it's heat loss properties, it guarantees that the temperature inside the kennel is right for your dog, even in those extra wintry months of the Cold British calendar.

Every Summer there seems to be a new horror story that the news, media, radio and TV reports on – whether it’s the worst pollen count in history or sand storms from the middle east coating our cars. One story that has been doing the rounds for the last few summers (from recent memory anyway) is that of Japanese knotweed.

It first come to my attention in 2007 when the news was reporting on how much Japanese knotweed has cost the tax payer whilst building the new Olympic stadium in our nations capital. It was initially reported that it would cost £70 million to excavate the site and treat the Japanese Knotweed infestation.

So what is Japanese Knotweed

It’s origin is in Japan and is an ornamental plant that was introduced into the UK in the 1850s and it is now such a menace that it is now an offence to plant it under the Wildlife and countryside act!!! Here are some frightening facts:

It can grow upto three quarters of an inch PER DAY during the summer.

It’s roots can dig deep – upto 10 feet down!

It is not an issue in Japans because indigenous insects eat it. These bugs were introduced to the UK but consequently died out – so treatment is the only way forward!

It can grow through walls, concrete and even tarmac!

Mortgage lenders, banks and building societies can refuse to lend on properties where it is present

It can take several years to trat and eradicate fully, using various methods of treatments and tools.

It is now listed in the top 100 of the worlds most invasive species.

We decided to look for Japanese knotweed companies and wanted to locate a local knotweed company to ask them about how Japanese Knotweed can effect our pets and animals. We found a Japanese knotweed company in Birmingham called Arrow Services (they have a knotweed sub-division). They informed us that Japanese Knotweed was not harmful to animals and that even humans can ingest it. The problem is that letting your animals or pets (such as cats and dogs) graze at it could really have an adverse effect on your wallet. They informed us that Japanese Knotweed is extremely easy to spread and so whilst not harming your pets, allowing them to graze, dig, eat, chew or pull can cause it to spread and spread fast. If you cause it to spread it is an offence – especially if it is spread into a neighbours garden or property!

That’s quite a lot to take in, if you have or suspect you have Japanese knotweed, getting an estimate is easy using Arrow’s knotweed calculator – sending pictures is also free and identification can be very quick. It is important that when you chose a Japanese knotweed company to deal with your infestation that they are PCA approved. The Property Care Association or (PCA) is a government approved trade body that ensures members adhere to very strict standards. The application alone is thorough and guarantees that any company in the PCA is regulated and will not disappear over night.

So whilst not harmful to animals – we really don’t recommend you allow them to spread knotweed not unless you want treatment costs to spiral!!!… Read the rest

There seems to be a fallacy attached to artificial grass and that is that dogs and animals alike will not like or enjoy artificial grass as much as the real thing. This couldn’t be further from the truth and in-fact artificial grass comes with it’s own unique set of benefits!

Dog lovers particularly tend to stress about their best friend not liking the sense, odor or appearance of artificial grass, fearing that this may result in problems indoors as well as out. The truth is, pets discover that artificial grass is both delicate and pleasurable and will play on it and have fun pretty much as they would on real grass. We are a community of dog lovers based in the West Midlands, so we scoured the internet and yellow pages to find an artificial grass Birmingham supplier to find out a little bit more about artificial grass and how it can be of benefit to animals and owners alike. We contacted Wishaw Grass (part of the Wishaw Landscapes group) to find out what they think and also what they offer – they even provided an informative video, displaying how pain-free installation is!

The Benefits of their artificial grass

Due to the fact artificial grass is very easy to maintain – your dog or pet is able to use and play on it 365 days a year come rain or sunshine. There is also no need to keep your dog or pet inside, where previously you had to maintain your lawn by fertilising, mowing or weeding using chemicals. You won’t have to do any of this with artificial grass. Your garden will be available all year round and not just in the summer!

Maintaining and caring for your artificial grass

Wishaw Landscapes had this to say:

“Let’s be honest – dog, cats and generally pets in general can be uber messy. Whether its playing in mud or eating grass and then being sick. With our artificial grass Birmingham service, you won’t ever have to worry about stains or horrible smells!”

“Artificial grass is porous so urine and other liquids drains through the surface of the turf into your gardens soil. Pet poo can be simply removed, allowing a green, vibrant, flowing – undamaged lawn and garden. There will be no visible muddy patches on your artificial grass or inside your home! You lawn will remain looking as refreshing as your indoor floors and your pet will get the best of both worlds, without getting disciplined. It really is a Win-Win.”

Wishaw Landscapes artificial grass is a breeze to install. This means you won’t be without a lawn for long – installation can typically be within one day.

We have many readers that already have artificial grass installed and state that they would never return to having real grass again!

Special offer!

Until 28/02/2016 – Wishaw Landscapes are running a special offer for our readers! Get 10% off by quoting “dog lovers” to them when enquiring about their excellent services!… Read the rest

A hot topic of discussion is what sort of lead\leash should I use for my beloved canine? We recommend purchasing your own rope and rope end fittings and creating your own high quality rope dog lead. This ensures you aren’t going to waste your money purchasing an inferior Chinese import or something of equal poor quality.

We recommend using 24mm decking rope as the main component of your dog lead. The reason we suggest using 24mm decking rope is because it’s made from a natural, strong, durable fibre with a perfect three strand construction. It’s also not too thick for your dogs neck and is also lightweight – meaning less pressure is applied to your dogs neck and jugular area. The rope that we recommend is provided by ridethewaves.co.uk and is top quality marine rope that’s designed to last.

Once you have your rope, it’s time to determine the length of your dog lead. Once the length is decided, your next step will be to choose from one of the many decking rope end fittings. It’s always a good idea to have a solid brass end fitting for your lead to complement both its look and quality. Creating a robust dog rope lead with a beautiful brass end and clip will keep even the largest breed of sea dogs under control!

Creating a dog lead out of 24mm decking rope ensures a traditional look is achieved and also ensures that your dog will remain on its lead without it breaking, splitting or fraying. Rope is strong and will provide your dog with enough room to explore during your walks out together. It is important that you select the length of your rope carefully. Most dog leads are created at either 4 foot, 6 foot or 8 foot for the larger breed of dog. Ensure you choose and cut your rope to a length that supports both your dogs look and size.

Marine rope and decking rope end fittings are used throughout the pet world and not just for the use of dog leads. Cats use rope for scratching and stretching and dogs have been known to rest and balance on rope! So why not purchase a little bit extra and see what else you can build and create for the entertainment and pleasure of your best friend!